Sink drain valve



Mwah i4, H95@ w. .3. GLEASON ZQM SINK DRAIN VALVE Filed-NOV. 27, 1946 fol March 14; 1950 w. J. GLEAsoN 2,500,674

A sINK DRAIN VALVE Filed NOV. 27, 1945 Patented Mar. 14, 1950 2,500,674 sINK DRAIN VALVE William Joseph Gleason, Waterbury, Conn., as-

signor to Scovill Manufacturing Company,

Waterbury, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application November 27, 1946,/Serial No. 712,493

7 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in sink drain valves, and more particularly to an improved form of drain plug assembly 'for cooperation with the fixed cross bar or spider usually found spaced beneath the `drain plug seat.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a dr-ain plug assembly so constructed and arranged and so related to the cross bar or spider which forms a conventional part of a sink drain body construction that rotaiy motion of the. assembly will result in the raising and opening of the plug, the assembly being provided with the convenient means by which such rotary motion may be 4efficiently produced.

Another object of the invention resides in providing an improved construction of drain plug assembly in which legs below the plug are adapted to cooperate with the conventional cross bar or spider of the standard sink construction whereby in one rotational position of the assembly the legs may stand upon the cross bar or spider and hold the valve plug/ in an elevated unseated drain position.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved drain plug assembly having both a rotary and a vertical movement with respect to the plug seat and the conventional stationary spider or bar spaced below such seat whereinthe dependent guides on the plug are replaced by supporting means having the same guiding function and also having the further function to support the plug in the open position, to interlock said plug in said open position and also if desired to interlock the plug in the closed position, and in which means is provided for causing the plug to become locked to the spider or bar if turned in the wrong direction relatively to the bar and freeing the plug and elevating the same when rotating in the opposite and right direction.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention will be more fully described hereinafter, and will be more particularly pointed' out in the claims appended hereto.

In the drawings, whereinlike symbols refer to like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, f

Figure 1 is a vertical section taken through a sink drain construction showing the improved drain plug assembly according to the present invention and in the vclosed or sealing position. Figure 2 is a similar view showing the parts in the open or drain position.

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the improved drain plug assembly.

Figure 4 is a bottom plan view of the same with the form of spider indicated in broken lines.

Figure 5 is a vertical section taken on the line 5-5 in Figure 4, and

Figures 6, 7 and 8 are fragmentary vertical sectional views through the sink construction showing the various positions of the valve assembly through closed, partially open and fully open positions.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, I5 designates a body member or shell adapted to be fitted in a conventional manner in the drain opening of the sink indicated generally by the broken lines I6. are reduced at their lower ends Il vat which they are customarily provided with valve seats I8. The reduced-section I'I connects with a drain pipe I9 in the usual way.

The drain plug is indicated generally at vIl and it is ordinarily provided with dependent guides adapted to slide up and down within the reduced section or neck I 'I in the act of movement of the plug toward and from its seat I8. According to the present invention the dependent guides are replaced by a novel form of combined leg and guide structure.

At the lower end of the reduced neck is carried the usual cross bar or spider 2I'. This spider may be formed, as shown in Figure 4, of two diametric cross bars intersecting centrally and arranged at substantially right angles to one another.

A basket strainer 22 is tted into the shell I5 in a suitable wav. One form of construction for accomplishing this purpose is by use of the ilanged ring 25 of the basket 22 fitting into a recess 26 in the body member or shell I 5,

The drain plug 20 may be xedly carried by a plug stem 23 rising from the central portion of such drain plug 20 and having at its upper end a knob or hand-hold or handle 24 by which the stem 23 and plug 2 0 may be rotated both clockwise and counter-clockwise in the execution of the movements incidentto'the mode of operation of the present invention. The rimof the knob 24 may be knurled, milled or otherwise roughened to better take the fingers pf the operator against slippage in the act of rotating the plug assembly. 'The plug stem 23-also slides in a free vertical manner through Ithe bottom of the basket 22 as well as having a free rotary motion therein.

In place of the dependent guidesv are one or more legs 21 which are carried by the plug 20 and projected downwardly therefrom so as to be slidably received within the reduced neck I1. In the Such shells or bowls I5 preferred and single embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings two such dependent legs 21 are illustrated as constituting a better balanced and more symmetrical construction. These y two legs are disposed substantially diametrically opposite one another on the circle on which the plug 20 and its inclined seat are struck. The circumferential length of each leg 21 is such as to freely admit spider` 2|; at least that lower portion of eachleg which its between the spider bars when the leg has descended to its lowermost position namely that at which the drain plug 20 is seated as shown in Figure 1. This lower portion of each leg is also of such circumferential length as to permit of a limited rotary or angular movement between adjacent right angularly disposed bars of the spider 2|.

Each leg has a sole 28 adapted to rest upon the spider 2| orthe respective bar thereof, such sole 28 being suciently long in a circumferential direction for the purpose; and at the ends of such soles are the downwardly extending projections 29 and 30. The projections 29 are short in comparison with the long projections 30. What we might call the leading edge of each leg 21 tapers or curves downwardly forming a cam edge 3|.

This cam edge continues into and throughout the leading edge of the short toe or projection 29. In the trailing edge of each leg 21 is a notch or recess 32 spaced above the sole 28 so that such notch or recess 32 may interlock with the spider bar, as indicated in Figure 1, when the plug 20 is in the closed position. The legs 21 are preferably of thicker dimension at their point of attachment with the drain plug 20 and on their outer intermediate faces have inclined or beveled surfaces 33 which serve to guide the plug 20 into the narrow neck |1 when dropping into sealing position.

The operation of the device is as follows: Figure 1 shows the closed or sealed position of the drain plug 20 which rests upon its seat I8 and retains water in the sink. I6. In this position both legs 21 t loosely through the spider and may have partial rotation in opposite directions.

Viewing the plug 2|) from above which is the position viewed by the operator, a clockwise rotation of the knob 24 moves the cam edge 3| into position against the adjacent cross bar 2|, and a counter-clockwise rotation of the knob 24 causes the notch or recess 32 to move over the spider cross bar 2| presented to it. This condition is shown in Figure 1, where it will be noted that the vertical height of the recess or notch 32 is somewhat greater than the vertical thickness of the spider cross bar 2| with which it engages so as to permit a limited vertical play of the drain plug assembly which consists generally of the plug 20, its legs 21, stem 23 and operating knob 24. Incidentally this knob 24 is preferably of a diameter substantially in excess of that of the stem 23 in order to provide under shoulders for engagement by the fingers of the operator in lifting the plug V2|] from its seat. It will be apparent, particularly from Figure 6, that there is a limited amount of vertical play permitted the assembly when the slot 32 is interlocked with the cross bar 2| due to the fact that the slot is of greater vertical depth than the vertical dimension of such cross bar 2|.

Another feature of this construction is that the legs 21 are so designed that the distance between the base of the slot 32 and the opposite cam surface 3| is such that the plug unit cannot move axially out from its closed position, but it is necesthe leg between adjacent bars of the sary to rotate the handle 24 first to release the slot 32 from an adiacent cross bar 2| and initially raise the plug 20 by the camming action of the cam 3| against itsadjacent cross bar 2 Another purpose of the slot 32 is to give suillcient freedom to the legs 21 when they are dropped in between the cross bars 2| to allow the plug 20 to self-seat on the valve seat I8 without interference.

When the plug is in sealing position, as shown in Figure l, it is only necessary for the operator to rotate the handle 24 in a clockwise direction, whereupon the plug will cam upwardly from its closed to its open position by reason of the cam edges 3| engaging the adjacent spider bar 2|. During this clockwise rotation the cam edges 3| ride upwardly until the spider bar clears the short toes 29 which lead the long toes 30. When such short toes 29 have cleared the spider bar the legs settle down upon such bar with the soles 28 directly engaging the spider. The rotary clockwise motion of the assembly is arrested in "this position by the long trailing toes 30 encountering the spider, Thetwo toes or projections 29 and 30 thus eectively form a notch between them of which the sole 28 is a part. When the assembly has settled with the soles 2B resting upon the cross bar 2| the toes 29 and 30 are so spaced that they act as stops on opposite side edges of the cross bar and thus prevent any appreciable rotary motion of the assembly in either direction.

By this construction the drain plug 28 cannot easily dislodge to drop the plug in the sealing position unless and until the -handle 24 is manually raised a vertical distance corresponding to the vertical height of the small toes 29 in order to permit such toes to clear the spider; whereupon the assembly is rotated through a small angular distance in the counter-clockwise direction. The assembly is 'thereupon permitted to drop by gravity or eased down by the hand of the operator and the cam edges 3| will guide the legs downwardly into the spaces between the members of the spider 2|. Also the inclined or beveled external wall sections 33 will tend to maintain the legs in the narrow neck |1.

Figure 6 shows the sealed or closed position of the plug locked by the engagement of the legs with the spider.

Figure 7 shows an intermediate position of the plug 29 with the cam edge 3| engaging the spider as the leg rides upwardly.

Figure 8 shows the fully open position of the plug 20 with the leg resting upon the spider and interlocked therewith. It will be noted from this Figure 8 that the long projection or toe 30 serves an additional function in that it prevents further clockwise movement of the plug assembly but allows free counter-clockwise movement of the assemlbly when such assembly has been lifted Sulliciently for the small toes 29 to clear the spider.

OiI course it will be understood that the cam edge 3| may be upon the opposite vertical edge of the leg but in such case the position of the short and long toes 29 and 30 will be reversed and the locking recess 32 will be in the edge of the leg now occupied by the cam 3| in which 'case counter-clockwise movement of the assembly will achieve the opening of the plug, and counterclockwise movement the freeing of the plug for its closing or descending movement.

It is to be understood that the assembly of the basket 22, plug 20, stem 23, and head 24 is such that these parts `can be removed as a unit from the shell I5 to permit emptying the refuse contents of the basket 22.

It is obvious that various changes and modifications may be made in the details of con- StruCtiOn and design of the above specifically described embodiment of this invention IWithout departing from the spirit thereof, such changes and modifications being restricted only by the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. For use with a drain body having a valve seat, a fixed cross bar below the valve seat, and a crumb cup basket in the body above the seat, a rotary and vertically movable unitary plug assembly comprising a plug memIber adapted to fit the seat, a shaft carrying the member rotatably and vertically slidable through the basket, a handle on the shaft for rotating and lifting the assembly, dependent legs on the member adapted to lie on opposite sides of the cross bar when the plug is seated and having |cam leading edges to engage the cross bar and lift the plug member, said legs having soles to rest on the cross bar, and toes projecting downwardly from the soles at opposite sides of the cross bar, the trailing toe being longer than the leading toe.

2. For use withv a drain 'body having a valve seat, a conventional spider including a cross-bar below the valve seat, and a crumb cup basket in the body above the seat, a rotary and vertically movable unitary plug assembly comprising a. plug member adapted to open and close against the scat, a shaft carrying saidplug member and adapted to be rotatably and vertically slidably tted through the fbasket, a handle on theshaft for rotating and lifting the assembly, arcuate legs dependent from outer portions of said plug member adapted to move up and down in the spaces on opposite sides of the spider cross-bar and beingcircumferentially narrower than said spaces to l permit of restricted rotary movement of the legs in the spaces, said legs having cam leading edges positioned and adapted to engage the edges of the spider cross-bar to effect lifting of said plug member when the same is rotated, said legs adapted to rest on the spider cross-bar in the fully open position of said plug member.

3. A rotary and vertically movable unitary plug assembly as claimed'in claim 2 characterized by the fact that a toe projects down below the lower edge of each leg at its leading edge having the front wall of said toe a continuation of the cam leading edge of the leg to induce lifting of the leg toe sufficiently high to clear the spider crossbar.

4. A rotary and vertically movable unitary plug assembly as claimed in claim 2 characterized by the fact that spaced toes project downwardly from each leg at opposite sides of a sole portion which is adapted to rest on the spider cross-bar with the toes adapted to overlap opposite edges of the cross-bar, the leading cam edges of the legs being continued downwardly through the forward leading edges of the forward toes.

5. A rotary and vertically movable unitary plug assembly as claimed in claim 2 characterized by the fact that spaced toe project downwardly from each leg at opposite sides of a sole portion which is adapted to rest on the spider cross-bar with the toes adapted to overlap opposite edges of the crossbar, the leading cam edges of the legs being continued downwardly through the forward leading edges of the forward toes, the trailing toe of each leg being of suilicient vertical length to remain in engagement with the side edge of the spider crossbar throughout the maximum lifting movement of the plug member whereby to positively arrest furf ther rotary movement of the plug member in the direction of unseating movement.

6. A lrotary and vertically movable unitary plug assembly as claimed in claim 2 characterized by the fact that a recess is provided in the trailing edges of the legs to receive the spider cross-bar on rotary movement Aof the plug member reversely to that of its unseating movement.

1. A rotary and vertically movable unitary plug assembly as claimed in claim 6 characterized by the fact that said recess is deeper vertically than the vertical dimension of the spider cross-bar to permit of restricted vertical movement of the plug assembly. WILLIAM JOSEPH GLEASON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ille of this patent:

UNITED vSTATES PATENTS Certificate of Correction Patent No. 2,500,674 March 14, 1950 WILLIAM JOSEPH GLEASON It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above i numbered patent requiring correction as follows:

Column 6, line 14;, for the word "t0e read toes;

and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Ofiice.

Signed and sealed this 11th day of July, A. D. 1950. f'

THOMAS F. MURPHY,

Assistant Oommzsszoner of Patents. 

